Plasma reactor having an array of plural individually controlled gas injectors arranged along a circular side wall

ABSTRACT

A plasma reactor has an array of plural gas injectors arranged around a circular side wall that are individually controlled.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/589,598, filed Oct. 30, 2006 entitled MASK ETCH PLASMA REACTOR HAVINGAN ARRAY OF OPTICAL SENSORS VIEWING THE WORKPIECE BACKSIDE AND A TUNABLEELEMENT CONTROLLED IN RESPONSE TO THE OPTICAL SENSORS, by Madhavi R.Chandrachood, et al.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Photolithographic mask fabrication for ultra large scale integrated(ULSI) circuits requires a much higher degree of etch uniformity thansemiconductor wafer processing. A single mask pattern generally occupiesa four inch square area on a quartz mask. The image of the mask patternis focused down to the area of a single die (a one inch square) on thewafer and is then stepped across the wafer, forming a single image foreach die. Prior to etching the mask pattern into the quartz mask, themask pattern is written by a scanning electron beam, a time consumingprocess which renders the cost of a single mask extremely high. The masketch process is not uniform across the surface of the mask. Moreover,the e-beam written photoresist pattern is itself non-uniform, andexhibits, in the case of 45 nm feature sizes on the wafer, as much as2-3 nm variation in critical dimension (e.g., line width) across theentire mask. (This variation is the 3σ variance of all measured linewidths, for example.) Such non-uniformities in photoresist criticaldimension will vary among different mask sources or customers. The masketch process cannot increase this variation by more than 1 nm, so thatthe variation in the etched mask pattern cannot exceed 3-4 nm. Thesestringent requirements arise from the use of diffraction effects in thequartz mask pattern to achieve sharp images on the wafer. It isdifficult to meet such requirements with current technology. It will beeven more difficult for future technologies, which may involve 22 nmwafer feature sizes. This difficulty is compounded by the phenomenon ofetch bias, in which the depletion of the photoresist pattern during masketch causes a reduction in line width (critical dimension) in the etchedpattern on the quartz mask. These difficulties are inherent in the masketch process because the etch selectivity of typical mask materials(e.g., quartz, chrome, molybdenum silicide) relative to photoresist istypically less than one, so that the mask photoresist pattern is etchedduring the mask etch process.

Some mask patterns require etching periodic openings into the quartzmask by a precisely defined depth that is critical to achieving theextremely fine phase alignment of interfering light beams duringexposure of the wafer through the mask. For example, in one type ofphase shift mask, each line is defined by a chrome line with thin quartzlines exposed on each side of the chrome line, the quartz line on oneside only being etched to a precise depth that provides a 180 degreephase shift of the light relative to light passing through the un-etchedquartz line. In order to precisely control the etch depth in the quartz,the etch process must be closely monitored by periodically interruptingit to measure the etch depth in the quartz. Each such inspectionrequires removing the mask from the mask etch reactor chamber, removingthe photoresist, measuring the etch depth and then estimating the etchprocess time remaining to reach the target depth based upon the elapsedetch process time, depositing new photoresist, e-beam writing the maskpattern on the resist, re-introducing the mask into the mask etchchamber and restarting the etch process. The estimate of remaining etchtime to reach the desired depth assumes that the etch rate remainsstable and uniform, and therefore is unreliable. The problems of such acumbersome procedure include low productivity and high cost as well asincreased opportunity for contamination or faults in the photoresistpattern. However, because of the requirement for an accuratelycontrolled etch depth, there has seemed to be no way around suchproblems.

The small tolerance in critical dimension variation requires extremelyuniform distribution of etch rate over the mask surface. In masksrequiring precise etch depth in the quartz material, there are twocritical dimensions, one being the line width and the other being theetch depth, and uniformity for both types of critical dimensionrequiring a uniform etch rate distribution across the mask.Non-uniformity in etch rate distribution can be reduced to some extentby employing a source power applicator that can vary the radialdistribution of the plasma ion density, such as an inductive sourcepower applicator consisting of inner and outer coil antennas overlyingthe wafer. Such an approach, however, can only address non-uniformitiesthat are symmetrical, that is a center-high or a center-low etch ratedistribution. In practice, non-uniformities in etch rate distributioncan be non-symmetrical, such as a high etch rate in one corner of themask, for example. A more fundamental limitation is that the mask etchprocess tends to have such an extremely center-low distribution of etchrate that a tunable feature, such an inductive power applicator havinginner and outer coils, is incapable of transforming the etch ratedistribution out of the center-low regime.

Another problem with non-uniform etch rate distribution is that the etchrate distribution tends to vary widely among different reactors of thesame design and can vary widely within the same reactor whenever a keypart or a consumable component is replaced, such as replacement of thecathode. The etch rate distribution appears to be highly sensitive tosmall variations in features of the replaced part, with unpredictablechanges upon consumable replacement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A plasma reactor comprises: a cylindrical vacuum chamber enclosure; anRF plasma source power applicator and an RF source power generatorcoupled to the applicator; plural passages extending in a radialdirection through the vacuum chamber enclosure and being spaced apartalong a circumference of the vacuum chamber enclosure; a process gassupply; a succession of detachable gas flow lines spaced from andoutside of the vacuum chamber enclosure and arranged end-to-end aroundthe circumference of the vacuum chamber enclosure, and a gas supply linecoupled between the succession of gas flow lines and the process gassupply; plural external gas flow valves outside of the vacuum chamberenclosure and coupled between successive ones of the gas flow lines atrespective locations spaced apart relative to the circumference of thevacuum chamber enclosure, each of the valves having: (a) a controlledgas output port individually coupled to a respective one of the pluralpassages, (b) a valve control input governing gas flow through thecontrolled gas output port, (c) an input flow-through port connected toa first one of a corresponding pair of the gas flow lines, (d) an outputflow-through port connected to the other one of the corresponding pairof the gas flow lines, (e) a flow-through passage between the input andoutput flow-through ports, wherein each of the gas flow lines isseparately disconnectable from the valve to which it is connected; aworkpiece support within the vacuum chamber enclosure having a supportsurface for supporting a workpiece; and a gas valve configurationcontroller controlling the valve control input of each of the valves.

In one embodiment, the external valves are separately removable from thevacuum chamber enclosure and separately re-connectable to the vacuumchamber enclosure. In one embodiment, each of the valves is apneumatically controlled valve, the reactor further comprising: apressurized air source; plural electrically controllable air valvescoupled between the pressurized air source and the valve control inputsof respective ones of the external gas flow valves; and individualsignal paths between the controller and the valve control inputs ofrespective ones of the gas flow control valves. In one embodiment, aplurality of hollow sleeves are provided within respective ones of theplural passages, each of the sleeves having a gas receiving end and agas output end, the gas output end of each of the sleeves defining a gasinjection orifice. In one embodiment, the sleeves are individuallyremovable from the passages and separately re-insertable into thepassages, and the external valves are separately removable from thevacuum chamber enclosure and separately re-connectable to the vacuumchamber enclosure. In one embodiment, the passages are terminated asopenings facing the interior of the vacuum chamber enclosure, theopenings being evenly spaced apart along a circumference of the vacuumchamber enclosure. In one embodiment, the openings comprise plural setsof evenly spaced openings at respective axial locations. In oneembodiment, the openings comprise plural sets of openings, respectiveones of the sets of openings being oriented at respective angles. In oneembodiment, a gas manifold comprises: a gas supply port for receiving agas from the process gas supply; and a pair of gas outlets oriented inopposing rotational directions along the circumference of the vacuumchamber enclosure; wherein the succession of gas flow lines comprises: afirst set of the gas flow lines having an input coupled to one of thepair of gas outlets and extending around a first half portion of thecircumference of the vacuum chamber enclosure along a first rotationaldirection, and a second set of the gas flow lines having an inputcoupled to the other of the pair of gas outlets and extending around asecond half portion of the circumference of the vacuum chamber enclosurealong a rotation direction opposite the first rotational direction. Inone embodiment, the gas supply line is coupled between the process gassupply and the gas supply port of the gas manifold. In one embodiment,the first set of gas flow lines extends around approximately half of thecircumference of the vacuum chamber enclosure and the second set of gasflow lines extends around approximately the other half of thecircumference of the vacuum chamber enclosure. In one embodiment, thecontroller is connected individually to the control inputs of each ofthe gas flow valves so as to be capable of controlling each of the gasflow valves independently of the other valves. In one embodiment, thegas flow valves are controllable to an ON state and an OFF state. In adifferent embodiment, the gas flow valves are controllable to differentgas flow rates between a zero flow rate and a maximum flow rate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention are attained and can be understood in detail, a moreparticular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, maybe had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are illustrated inthe appended drawings. It is to be appreciated that certain well knownprocesses are not discussed herein in order to not obscure theinvention.

FIG. 1 depicts a plasma reactor for carrying out a mask etch process.

FIG. 2A depicts a lower portion of the reactor of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B illustrates a mask support pedestal of the reactor of FIG. 1 ina raised position.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a cathode of the reactor of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are top and side views of one alternative embodiment ofthe cathode.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are top and side views of another alternative embodimentof the cathode.

FIG. 8 is a simplified diagram of a plasma reactor having a backside endpoint detection apparatus.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are graphs of an optical end point detection signalobtained from the front side and back side, respectively, of the mask.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are graphs of an interference fringe optical signalobtained from the front side and back side, respectively, of the mask.

FIG. 13 is a graph of a multiple wavelength interference spectrum signalobtained in one embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8.

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8 with backsideend point detection based upon overall reflected light intensity,corresponding to FIG. 10.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8 with backsideendpoint detection based upon interference fringe counting,corresponding to FIG. 12.

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8 with backsideendpoint detection based upon multiple wavelength interferencespectrometry.

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8 with backsideendpoint detection based upon optical emission spectrometry (OES).

FIG. 18 illustrates a working example having both OES andinterference-based backside endpoint detection.

FIGS. 19 and 20 are perspective view of the cathode and facilitiesplate, respectively, of the embodiment of FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the cathode of FIG. 19.

FIGS. 22A and 22B depict a sequence of steps in a quartz mask etchprocess employing backside endpoint detection.

FIGS. 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D and 23E depict a sequence of steps in achrome-molysilicide-quartz mask etch process employing backside endpointdetection.

FIGS. 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D and 24E depict a sequence of steps in achrome-quartz mask etch process employing backside endpoint detection.

FIGS. 25 and 26 are side and top views, respectively, of an embodimentin which real time etch rate distribution is continuously measured fromthe mask backside.

FIGS. 27 and 28 are perspective and top views, respectively, of anembodiment having an array of individually controllable gas injectionnozzles.

FIG. 29 is a top view of an implementation of the embodiment of FIGS. 27and 28 employing pneumatic valves.

FIGS. 30A through 30D are graphs of etch depth distribution across amask obtained with different ones of the array of valves of FIGS. 27 and28 being activated.

FIG. 31 depicts an alternative embodiment of the reactor of FIGS. 27 and28.

FIG. 32 depicts another alternative embodiment of the reactor of FIGS.27 and 28.

FIGS. 33 and 34 are a block diagram and a perspective view,respectively, of a plasma reactor capable of performing real-timefeedback control of reactor tunable elements based upon instantaneoustwo-dimensional images of etch rate distribution.

FIG. 35 is a block diagram of a feedback control process that may beperformed in the reactor of FIGS. 33 and 34.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of oneembodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments withoutfurther recitation. It is to be noted, however, that the appendeddrawings illustrate only exemplary embodiments of this invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the inventionmay admit to other equally effective embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Cathode with Enhanced RF Uniformity:

We have discovered that one source of non-uniform etch rate distributionin mask etch processes is the existence of RF electricalnon-uniformities in the support pedestal or cathode holding the mask inthe plasma reactor in which the mask etch process is carried out. RFbias power is applied to the pedestal to control plasma ion energy atthe mask surface, while RF source power is applied to an overhead coilantenna, for example, to generate plasma ions. The RF bias powercontrols the electric field at the mask surface that affects the ionenergy. Since the ion energy at the mask surface affects the etch rate,RF electrical non-uniformities in the pedestal create non-uniformitiesin the distribution of etch rate across the mask surface. We havediscovered that there are several sources of RF non-uniformity in thepedestal. One is the titanium screws that fasten the aluminum pedestal(cathode) and aluminum facilities plate together. The screws createnodes in the electric field pattern across the surface of the pedestal(and therefore across the surface of the mask because their electricalproperties differ from that of the aluminum cathode. Another is thenon-uniform distribution of conductivity between the cathode and thefacilities plate. Electrical conduction between the facilities plate andthe cathode is confined primarily to the perimeter of the plate andcathode. This can be due at least in part to bowing of the cathodeduring plasma processing induced by vacuum pressure. The conductionaround this perimeter can be non-uniform due to a number of factors,such as uneven tightening of the titanium screws and/or surface finishvariations around the perimeter of either the plate or the pedestal. Wehave solved these problems by the introduction of several features thatenhance RF electrical uniformity across the pedestal. First, thenon-uniformities or discontinuities in the RF field arising from thepresence of the titanium screws in the aluminum cathode are addressed byproviding a continuous titanium ring extending around the perimeter ofthe top surface of the cathode that encompasses the heads of all thetitanium screws. Variations in conductivity due surface differences oruneven tightening of the titanium screws are addressed by providinghighly conductive nickel plating on the facing perimeter surfaces of thefacilities plate and the cathode, and by the introduction of an RFgasket between the facilities plate and the cathode that is compressedbetween them at their perimeter.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plasma reactor for etching patterns in a maskincludes a vacuum chamber 10 enclosed by a side wall 12 and an overlyingceiling 14 and is evacuated by a vacuum pump 15 that controls chamberpressure. A mask support pedestal 16 inside the chamber 10 supports amask 18. As will be described later in this specification, the masktypically consists of a quartz substrate and can further includeadditional mask thin film layers on the top surface of the quartzsubstrate, such as chrome and molybdenum silicide. In addition, apattern-defining layer is present, which may be photoresist or ahardmask formed of the chrome layer. In other types of masks, the quartzsubstrate has no overlying layers except for the photoresist pattern.

Plasma source power is applied by overlying inner and outer coilantennas 20, 22 driven by respective RF source power generators 24, 26through respective RF impedance match circuits 28, 30. While the sidewall 12 may be aluminum or other metal coupled to ground, the ceiling 14is typically an insulating material that permits inductive coupling ofRF power from the coil antennas 20, 22 into the chamber 10. Process gasis introduced through evenly spaced injection nozzles 32 in the top ofthe side wall 12 through a gas manifold 34 from a gas panel 36. The gaspanel 36 may consist of different gas supplies 38 coupled throughrespective valves or mass flow controllers 40 to an output valve or massflow controller 42 coupled to the manifold 34.

The mask support pedestal 16 consists of a metal (e.g., aluminum)cathode 44 supported on a metal (e.g., aluminum) facilities plate 46.The cathode 44 has internal coolant or heating fluid flow passages (notshown) that are fed and evacuated by supply and drain ports (not shown)in the facilities plate 46. RF bias power is applied to the facilitiesplate by an RF bias power generator 48 through an RF impedance matchcircuit 50. The RF bias power is conducted across the interface betweenthe facilities plate 46 and the cathode 44 to the top surface of thecathode 44. The cathode 44 has a central plateau 44 a upon which thesquare quartz mask or substrate 18 is supported. The plateau dimensionsgenerally match the dimensions of the mask 18, although the plateau 44 ais slightly smaller so that a small portion or lip 18 a of the maskperimeter extends a short distance beyond the plateau 44 a, as will bediscussed below. A pedestal ring 52 surrounding the plateau 44 a isdivided (in wedge or pie section fashion as shown in FIG. 2B or FIG. 7)into a cover ring 52 a forming about two-fifths of the ring 52 and acapture ring 52 b forming the remaining three-fifths of the ring 52. Thecapture ring 52 b has a shelf 54 in which the lip 18 a of the mask 18rests. Three lifts pins 56 (only one of which is visible in the view ofFIG. 1) lift the capture ring 52 b, which raises the mask 18 by the lip18 a whenever it is desired to remove the mask 18 from the supportpedestal 16. The pedestal ring 52 consists of layers 53, 55 of materialsof different electrical characteristics selected to match the RFimpedance presented by the combination of the quartz mask 18 and thealuminum plateau 44 a, at the frequency of the bias power generator 48.(Both the cover and capture rings 52 a, 52 b consist of the differentlayers 53, 55.) Moreover, the top surface of the capture ring 52 iscoplanar with the top surface of the mask 18, so that a large uniformsurface extending beyond the edge of the mask 18 promotes a uniformelectric field and sheath voltage across the surface of the mask 18during plasma processing. Typically, these conditions are met if thelower ring layer 55 is quartz and the upper ring layer 53 is a ceramicsuch as alumina. A process controller 60 controls the gas panel 36, theRF generators 24, 26, 48, and wafer handling apparatus 61. The waferhanding apparatus can include a lift servo 62 coupled to the lift pins56, a robot blade arm 63 and a slit valve 64 in the side wall 12 of thechamber 10.

A series of evenly spaced titanium screws 70 fasten the cathode 44 andfacilities plate 46 together along their perimeters. Because of theelectrical dissimilarities between the aluminum cathode/facilities plate44, 46 and the titanium screws 70, the screws 70 introduce discretenon-uniformities into the RF electrical field at the top surface of thecathode 44. Variations in the opposing surfaces of the cathode 44 andfacilities plate 46 create non-uniformities in the conductivity betweenthe cathode 44 and facilities plate 46 along their perimeter, whichintroduces corresponding non-uniformities in the RF electrical field.Because the cathode 44 tends to bow up at its center during plasmaprocessing (due to the chamber vacuum), the principal electrical contactbetween the cathode 44 and the facilities plate 46 is along theirperimeters. In order to reduce the sensitivity of the electricalconductivity between the cathode 44 and facilities plate 46 to (a)variations in tightness among the various titanium screws 70 and (b)variations in surface characteristics, an annular thin film 72 of ahighly conductive material such as nickel is deposited on the perimeterof the bottom surface 44 b of the cathode 44, while a matching annularthin film 74 of nickel (for example) is deposited on the perimeter ofthe top surface 46 a of the facilities plate 46. The nickel films 72, 74are in mutual alignment, so that the two annular nickel thin films 72,74 constitute the opposing contacting surfaces of the cathode 44 andfacilities plate 46, providing a highly uniform distribution ofelectrical conductivity between them. Further improvement in uniformelectrical conductivity is realized by providing an annular groove 76along the perimeter of the bottom surface of the cathode 44 and placinga conductive RF gasket 80 within the groove 76. Optionally, a similarannular groove 78 in the top surface of the facilities plate 46 may beprovided that is aligned with the groove 76. The RF gasket 80 may be ofa suitable conventional variety, such as a thin metal helix that iscompressed as the cathode 44 and facilities plate 46 are pressedtogether and the screws 70 tightened. In order to reduce or eliminatethe point non-uniformities in electrical field distribution tending tooccur at the heads of the titanium screws 70, a continuous titanium ring82 is placed in an annular groove 84 in the perimeter of the top surfaceof the cathode 44.

FIG. 2A depicts the mask support pedestal 16 and its underlying liftassembly 90. The lift assembly 90 includes a lift spider 92 driven by apneumatic actuator or lift servo 94 and the three lift pins 56 restingon the lift spider 92. The lift pins 56 are guided in lift bellows 96that include ball bearings 98 for extremely smooth and nearlyfrictionless motion (to reduce contamination arising from wear). FIG. 2Bdepicts the cathode 44 with the capture ring 52 b and mask 18 in theraised position. The void formed by separation of the cover and capturerings 52 a, 52 b when the mask is raised permits access by a robot bladeto the mask 18.

The problem of an extremely center-low etch rate distribution across thesurface of the mask 18 is solved by altering the distribution of theelectrical properties (e.g., electrical permittivity) of the cathodeplateau 44 a. This is achieved in one embodiment by providing, on thetop surface of the plateau 44 a, a center insert 102 and a surroundingouter insert 104, the two inserts forming a continuous planar surfacewith the pedestal ring 52 and being of electrically different materials.For example, in order to reduce the tendency of the etch ratedistribution to be extremely center-low, the center insert 102 may be ofa conductive material (e.g., aluminum) while the outer insert 104 may beof an insulating material (e.g., a ceramic such as alumina). Thisconductive version of the center insert 102 provides a much lowerimpedance path for the RF current, boosting the ion energy and etch rateat the center of the mask 18, while the insulating outer insert 104presents a higher impedance, which reduces the etch rate at theperiphery of the mask 18. This combination improves the etch ratedistribution, rendering it more nearly uniform. With this feature, finetuning of the etch rate distribution can be performed by adjusting therelative RF power levels applied to the inner and outer coil antennas20, 22. The change in radial distribution of plasma ion density requiredto achieve uniform etch rate distribution is reduced to a much smalleramount which is within the capability of RF power apportionment betweenthe inner and outer coils 20, 22 to attain uniform etch ratedistribution. FIG. 3 is a top view of the inner and outer inserts 102,104. In an alternative embodiment, the inserts 102, 104 may beinsulators having different dielectric constants (electricalpermittivities). FIGS. 4 and 5 depict an elaboration upon this concept,in which four inserts or concentric rings 102, 104, 106, 108 ofprogressively different electrical properties are employed to render theetch rate distribution more uniform. FIGS. 6 and 7 depict an alternativeembodiment that provides real-time tunability of distribution of RFelectrical properties of the cathode 44. A plunger 110 controls theaxial position of a movable aluminum plate 112 within a hollow cylinder114 in the center interior of the cathode 44. The aluminum plate 112 isin electrical contact with the remainder of the aluminum plateau 44 a.An insulator (e.g., ceramic) top film 116 can cover the top of thecathode 44. As the aluminum plate 112 is pushed closer to the top of thecylinder 114, the electrical impedance through the center region of thecathode 44 is reduced, thereby raising the etch rate at the center ofthe mask 18. Conversely, the etch rate at the mask center is reduced asthe aluminum plate 112 is moved downward in the cylinder 114 away fromthe mask 18. An actuator 118 controlling axial movement of the plunger110 can be governed by the process controller 60 (FIG. 1) to adjust theetch rate distribution to maximize uniformity or compensate fornon-uniformities.

Etch Rate Monitoring and End Point Detection Through the Mask Backside:

The high production cost of periodic interruptions of the etch processto measure the etch depth or critical dimension on the mask is reducedor eliminated using optical sensing through the cathode 44 and throughthe backside of the mask or substrate 18. It has been necessary tointerrupt the etch process to perform such periodic measurements becauseof the poor etch selectivity relative to photoresist: in general, themask materials etch more slowly than the photoresist. This problem istypically addressed by depositing a thick layer of photoresist on themask, but the high rate of etching of the resist renders the photoresistsurface randomly uneven or rough. This roughness affects light passingthrough the photoresist and so introduces noise into any opticalmeasurement of critical dimension or etch depth. Therefore, thephotoresist is temporarily removed for each periodic measurement toensure noise-free optical measurements, necessitating re-deposition ofphotoresist and re-writing of the reticle pattern into the photoresistbefore re-starting the interrupted mask etch process.

The mask etch plasma reactor depicted in FIG. 8 avoids thesedifficulties and permits continuous observation of critical dimensionsor measurement of etch depth during the entire etch process while themask or substrate 18 is left in place on the mask support pedestal 16using backside optical measurement apparatus provided within the cathode44. The backside measurement apparatus takes advantage of the opticallytransparent nature of the mask substrate 18, which is typically quartz.The thin films that may be deposited over it (such as chrome ormolybdenum silicide) may be opaque, but the formation of patternedopenings defining the reticle pattern of the mask 18 can be sensedoptically. The change in light intensity reflected by such layers ortransmitted through such layers may be observed at the mask back sidethrough the cathode 44. This observation may be used to perform etchprocess end point detection. When etching the quartz material, opticalinterference observed at the mask back side through the cathode 44 maybe sensed to perform etch depth measurements in real time during theetch process. One advantage is that the images or light signals sensedfrom the mask backside are not affected by photoresist noise, or atleast are affected very little compared with attempts to perform suchmeasurements from the top surface (photoresist side) of the mask 18.

For these purposes, the reactor of FIG. 8 includes a recess 120 withinthe top surface of the cathode 44 that accommodates a lens 122 whoseoptical axis faces the backside of the mask or substrate 18. A pair ofoptical fibers 124, 126, whose diameters are small relative to the lens122, have ends 124 a, 126 a close to or contacting the lens 122 and bothare aligned next to each other at the optical axis of the lens 122. Eachof the optical fibers 124, 126 depicted in FIG. 8 may actually be asmall bundle of optical fibers. The optical fiber 124 has its other end124 b coupled to a light source 128. The light source emits light of awavelength at which the mask 18 is transparent, typically visiblewavelengths for a quartz mask. In the case of interference depthmeasurements, the wavelength spectrum of the light source 128 isselected to facilitate local coherence in the reticle pattern of themask 18. For periodic features in the etched mask structure on the orderof about 45 nm (or periodic feature sizes below one micron), thisrequirement is met if the light source 128 radiates in the visible lightspectrum. The optical fiber 126 has its other end 126 b coupled to alight receiver 130. In the case of simple end point detection, the lightreceiver 130 may simply detect light intensity. In the case of criticaldimension (e.g., line width) measurements, the light receiver 130 maysense the image of etched lines within the field of view of the lens122, from which the line width can be determined. In the case of etchdepth measurements, the light receiver 130 may detect an interferencepattern or interference fringes, from which the etch depth may bedetermined (i.e., inferred from the interference or diffraction patternor computed from the counting of interference fringes). In otherembodiments, the light receiver 130 may include a spectrometer forperforming multiple wavelength interference measurements, from whichetch depth may be inferred or computed. For such determinations, theprocess controller 60 includes an optical signal processor 132 capableof processing the optical signal from the light receiver. Such opticalsignal processing may involve (depending upon the particularimplementation) one of the following: performing etch process end pointdetection from ambient light intensity changes; measuring criticaldimensions from two-dimensional images sensed by the optical receiver130; computing etch depth by counting interference fringes; determiningetch depth from the multiple wavelength interference spectrum, in whichcase the optical receiver 130 consists of a spectrometer. Alternatively,such a spectrometer may be employed to perform etch process end pointdetection by optical emission spectrometry from the wafer backside,using light emitted by the plasma and transmitted through thetransparent mask 18, in which case the light source 128 is not employed.

The process controller 60 reacts to the process end point detectioninformation (or the etch depth measurement information) from the opticalsignal processor 132 to control various elements of the plasma reactor,including the RF generators 24, 26, 48 and the wafer-handling apparatus61. Typically, the process controller 60 stops the etch process andcauses removal the mask 18 from the pedestal 16 when the etch processend point is reached.

FIG. 9 is a graph depicting ambient reflected light intensity sensedfrom the top (photoresist-coated) side of the mask as a function of timeduring a chrome etch process (in which a chrome thin film on the quartzmask surface is etched in accordance with a mask reticle pattern). Thelarge swings in intensity depicted in the graph of FIG. 9 representnoise induced by roughness in the top surface of the photoresist layer.The dashed line represents a step function signal hidden within thenoise, the step function coinciding with the chrome etch process endpoint. FIG. 10 is a graph of the same measurement taken from the waferbackside through the cathode 44 in the reactor of FIG. 8, in which thelight receiver 130 senses the reflected light level. Thephotoresist-induced noise is greatly reduced, so that the end-pointdefining step function is clearly represented in the optical data. Theedge of the step function depicts a transition point at which reflectedlight intensity drops upon the etch process reaching the bottom of thechrome thin film, at which point the reflective surface area of thechrome is abruptly reduced.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are graphs of light intensity over time (or,equivalently, over space), and, in FIG. 12, as sensed by the opticalreceiver 130, in which the periodic peaks in light intensity correspondto interference fringes whose spacing determines the etch depth, ordifference in thickness between different surfaces of closelyperiodically spaced features etched in the transparent quartz masksubstrate 18. FIG. 11 depicts the intensity sensed through thephotoresist from the top side of the mask, with a heavyphotoresist-induced noise component that impairs interference fringedetection. FIG. 12 depicts the intensity sensed through the maskbackside by the optical receiver 130 of FIG. 8, in whichphotoresist-induced noise is virtually absent.

FIG. 13 is a graph representing light intensity as a function ofwavelength for the case in which the light receiver 130 consists of aspectrometer and the light source 128 produces a spectrum ofwavelengths. The behavior of the intensity spectrum of the graph of FIG.13 is typical of a situation in which interference effects occur betweenlight reflected from surfaces of different depths in sub-micron featuresthat are periodically spaced in the transparent mask 18. At the lowerwavelengths, the peaks are fairly periodic and even spaced, thepredominant optical effect being interference. At the higherwavelengths, local coherence among the periodic features in the mask 18is not as strong, so that diffraction effects become increasinglysignificant with increasing wavelength, causing the intensity behaviorat the higher wavelengths to be less evenly spaced and more complex, asdepicted in FIG. 13. The spacing of the peaks in FIG. 13, particularlyat the lower wavelengths, is a function of the etch depth, which may beinferred from the peak-to-peak spacing.

FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8, in which thelight receiver 130 is an ambient light intensity detector and theoptical signal processor 132 is programmed to look for a largeinflection (step function) in the overall reflected light intensity,corresponding to the end point detection graph of FIG. 10. The lightsource 128 in this embodiment can be any suitable light source.Alternatively, the light source 128 can be eliminated, so that the lightsensor 130 simply responds to light from the plasma transmitted throughthe transparent mask or substrate 18.

FIG. 15 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8 in which thelight receiver 130 is an interference fringe detector sufficientlyfocused by the lens 122 to resolve interference fringes, and the opticalsignal processor 132 is programmed to count interference fringes (e.g.,from intensity versus time data of the type illustrated in FIG. 12) inorder to compute etch depth in the transparent quartz mask 18. Thiscomputation yields a virtually instantaneous etch depth, which iscompared by logic 200 with a user-defined target depth stored in amemory 202. The logic 200 can use a conventional numerical match orminimization routine to detect a match between the stored and measureddepth values. A match causes the logic 200 to flag the etch end point tothe process controller 60.

FIG. 16 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8 which employsthe interference spectroscopy technique of FIG. 13 to measure ordetermine etch depth in the transparent quartz mask or substrate 18. Inthis case, the light source 128 emits multiple wavelengths or a spectrumin the visible range (for periodic mask feature sizes on the order ofhundreds of nanometers or less). The light receiver 130 is aspectrometer. A combination signal conditioner and analog-to-digitalconverter 220 converts the spectrum information collected by the lightreceiver or spectrometer 130 (corresponding to the graph of FIG. 13)into digital data which the optical signal processor 132 can handle. Onemode in which end point detection can be performed is to compute theetch depth from the spacing between the periodic peaks in the lowerwavelength range of the data represented by FIG. 13, as mentioned above.Comparison logic 200 can compare the instantaneous measured etch depthto a user-defined target depth stored in memory 202 to determine whetherthe etch process end point has been reached. In another mode, thecomparison logic 200 is sufficiently robust to compare the digitallyrepresented wavelength spectrum (corresponding to the graph of FIG. 13)representing the instantaneous output of the light receiver orspectrometer 130 with a known spectrum corresponding with the desiredetch depth. This known spectrum may be stored in the memory 202. A matchbetween the measured spectrum and the stored spectrum, or an approximatematch, detected by the comparison logic 200 results in an etch processend point flag being sent to the process controller 60.

FIG. 17 illustrates an embodiment of the reactor of FIG. 8 in which theoptical receiver 130 is an optical emission spectrometer capable ofdifferentiating emission lines from optical radiation emitted by theplasma in the chamber, to perform optical emission spectrometry (OES).The processor 132 is an OES processor that is programmed to track thestrength (or detect the disappearance) of selected optical linescorresponding to chemical species indicative of the material in thelayer being etched. Upon the predetermined transition (e.g., thedisappearance of a chrome wavelength line in the OES spectrum during achrome etch process), the processor 132 sends an etch process end pointdetection flag to the process controller 60.

FIG. 18 depicts an embodiment that we have constructed, having a pair oflenses 230, 232 in respective spaced recesses 231, 233 in the surface ofthe cathode 44, the lenses 230, 232 being focused to resolveinterference fringes, the focused light being carried by respectiveoptical fibers 234, 236 facing or contacting the respective lenses 230,232. The optical fibers 234, 236 are coupled to an interference detector238 (which may be either a fringe detector or a spectrometer), thedetector 238 having an output coupled to the process controller 60. Thelenses 230, 232 receive light from a light source 240 through opticalfibers 242, 244. This light is reflected from the top surface of themask 18 back to the lenses 230, 232 and carried by the optical fibers234, 236 to the detector 238. In addition, the embodiment of FIG. 18 hasa third recess 249 in the cathode surface accommodating a third lens 250coupled through an optical fiber 252 to the input of an OES spectrometer254. An OES processor 256 processes the output of the OES spectrometer254 to perform end point detection, and transmits the results to theprocess controller 60. The cathode 44 of the embodiment of FIG. 18 isdepicted in FIG. 19, showing the three recesses 231, 233, 249accommodating the respective lenses 230, 232, 250. FIG. 20 illustratesthe corresponding holes 261 for accommodating within the facilitiesplate 46 optical apparatus (not shown) supporting the lenses 230, 232,250. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the coupling of theoptical fibers to the lenses inside the cathode 44.

While the reactors of FIGS. 16, 17 and 18 have been described asemploying light receivers or spectrometers 130 (FIGS. 16 and 17) and 254(FIG. 18), the light receiver or spectrometer 130 or 254 may be replacedby one or more optical wavelength filters tuned to predeterminedwavelengths. Each such optical wavelength filter may be combined with aphotomultiplier to enhance the signal amplitude.

Backside End Point-Detected Mask Etch Processes:

FIGS. 22A and 22B depict a process for etching a reticle pattern in thequartz material of a mask. In FIG. 22A, a quartz mask substrate 210 hasbeen covered with a photoresist layer 212 having a periodic structure ofspaced lines 214 and openings 216 defined in the photoresist layer 212.In the reactor of FIG. 15 or 16, a quartz-etching process gas ofCHF3+CF4+Ar is introduced into the chamber 10, power is applied by theRF generators 24, 26 and 48 and the quartz material is etched within theopenings 216 formed in the photoresist layer 212. The etch depth in thequartz is continually measured by interference between light 218reflected from an etched top surface and light 219 reflected from anunetched top surfaces of the quartz substrate 210. The etch process ishalted as soon as the desired etch depth is reached (FIG. 22A). Thephotoresist is then removed to produce the desired mask (FIG. 22B).

FIGS. 23A through 23E depict a process for etching a three-layer maskstructure consisting of the underlying quartz mask substrate 210, amolybdenum silicide layer 260, (containing molybdenum oxy-siliconnitride), a chrome layer 262, a chromium oxide anti-reflective coating264 and a photoresist layer 266, with openings 268 formed in thephotoresist layer 266 (FIG. 23A). In the step of FIG. 23B, the chromelayer 262 and the anti-reflection coating 264 are etched in a plasmareactor chamber having simple reflectance end point detection (thechamber of FIG. 14) or having OES end point detection (the chamber ofFIG. 17) using a chrome etch process gas such as Cl2+O2+CF4. Thephotoresist layer 266 is removed (FIG. 23C). The molybdenum silicidelayer 260 is then etched as shown in FIG. 23D, using a process gas whichis an etchant of molybdenum silicide, such as SF6+Cl2, and using thechrome layer 262 as a hard mask. This step is carried out in a plasmareactor having end point detection by simple ambient reflectance or byOES end point detection, such as the chamber of FIG. 14 or FIG. 17. InFIG. 23E, the chrome layer 262 and the chromium oxide anti-reflectioncoating 264 are removed using a chrome etching process gas such asCH3+CF4+Ar. This step can be carried out using the reactor of FIG. 14 or17 having simple end point detection without etch depth measurement.This leaves a quartz mask substrate with an overlying layer ofmolybdenum silicide defining the reticle pattern.

FIGS. 24A through 24E depict a process for fabricating a binary maskconsisting of periodic chrome lines on a transparent quartz maskflanking periodic spaces of exposed quartz, alternate ones of theexposed quartz spaces being etched to a depth at which transmitted lightis phase-shifted by a desired angle (e.g., 180 degrees). FIG. 24Adepicts the initial structure consisting of a quartz mask substrate 300,a chrome layer 302, a chromium oxide anti-reflection coating 304 and aphotoresist layer 306. In the step of FIG. 24B, the chrome and chromiumoxide layers 302, 304 are etched in a process gas of Cl2+O2+CF4 in areactor chamber such as the chamber of FIG. 14 or 17. In the step ofFIG. 24C, the photoresist layer 306 is removed, after which the exposedportions of the quartz mask substrate 300 are etched as shown in FIG.24D in a quartz-etching process gas of CHF3+CF4+Ar. The quartz etch stepof FIG. 24D is carried out in a reactor chamber capable of sensing ormonitoring the etch depth in the quartz mask substrate 300, such as thechamber of FIG. 15 or 16. During the etch process, the instantaneousetch depth is continually monitored, and the etch process is halted assoon as the target etch depth is reached on the mask 300. The finalresult is depicted in FIG. 24E.

Continuous Monitoring of Etch Rate Distribution Across the Mask Surface:

FIGS. 25 and 26 illustrate an embodiment of the wafer support pedestal16 of FIG. 1 with a matrix of backside etch depth sensing elements(lenses and optical fibers) in the top surface of the cathode 44,continuously providing an instantaneous image or sample of the etch ratedistribution or etch depth distribution across the entire surface of themask or substrate during the etch process without interrupting the etchprocess or otherwise disturbing the mask substrate. The aluminum plateau44 a has a matrix of openings 320 in its top surface, each openingholding a lens 322 facing the backside of the mask substrate 300. Alight source 324 provides light through output optical fibers 326coupled to the respective lenses 322. The lenses 322 provide sufficientfocusing to resolve interference fringes. An interference detector 328,which may be either a sensor that facilitates fringe counting or aspectrometer, is coupled to input optical fibers 330 coupled to therespective lenses 322. A switch or multiplexer 332 admits light to thedetector 328 from each of the input optical fibers 330 sequentially.There are three modes in which the apparatus of FIGS. 25 and 26 mayoperate. In a first mode, the etch depth in the field of view of a givenone of the lenses 322 is computed from the interval between interferencefringes. In a second mode, the detector 328 is a spectrometer and theetch depth in the field of view of a given one of the lenses 322 iscomputed from the lower wavelength peak interval of the multiplewavelength interference spectrum (corresponding to FIG. 13). In a thirdmode, the multiple wavelength interference spectrum is detected at agiven instant of time and compared with a library 340 of spectra forwhich the corresponding etch depths are known. The etch ratedistribution is computed from the etch depth and the elapsed time. Thisdistribution records the etch non-uniformity of the process and is fedto the processor 132. The processor 132 can respond by adjusting tunablefeatures of the reactor to reduce non-uniformity in the etch ratedistribution.

While the embodiment of FIGS. 25 and 26 is depicted as having a 3-by-3matrix of etch depth sensors or lenses 322 in the top surface of theplateau 44 a, any number of rows and columns in the matrix of suchsensors may be employed so that the matrix is an n-by-m matrix, where mand n are suitable integers.

In one embodiment, the processor 132 may be programmed to deduce (fromthe etch rate distribution information supplied by the spectrometer orlight receiver 130) whether the etch rate distribution is center high orcenter low. The process controller 60 can respond to this information byadjusting certain tunable features of the reactor to decrease thenon-uniformity. For example, the process controller 60 may change the RFpower apportionment between the inner and outer coils 20, 22.Alternatively or in addition, the process controller 60 may change theheight of the movable aluminum plate 112 in the reactor of FIGS. 6 and7. Feedback from the array or matrix of etch depth sensing elements inthe plateau 44 a allows the process controller 60 to improve uniformityof etch rate distribution by continuous trial and error adjustments ofthe reactor tunable elements.

Real-Time Configurable Process Gas Distribution:

FIGS. 27 and 28 illustrate an embodiment of the plasma reactor of FIG. 1having an array of individually controllable gas injection orifices ornozzles 32. By individually controlling the different nozzles 32, gasdistribution within the chamber 10 can be changed to correct non-uniformdistribution of etch rate across the workpiece or mask 18. In theillustrated embodiment, the array of gas injection nozzles 32 is locatedon the side wall 12 near the ceiling 14. For this purpose, the reactorincludes a top ring 338 that is held between the top of the side wall 12and a removable lid 342 having a bottom surface that constitutes theceiling 14. An exterior shoulder 344 in the bottom surface of the topring 338 rests on the top surface of the side wall 12. An interiorshoulder 346 on the top surface of the ring receives the edge of the lid342. An external shoulder 348 is provided in the bottom surface of thelid 342 that rests in the internal shoulder 346 of the ring 338. The gasinjection orifices or nozzles 32 are formed in the vertical interiorsurface 349 of the ring 338. Gas flow to each of the injection nozzles32 is individually controlled by a separate valve 350, there being onevalve 350 for each of the nozzles 32. Process gas supplied from the gaspanel 36 flows through a gas supply line 352 that is coupled to an inputport 354 formed on the ring 338. Gas supply outlets or ports 356 formedon the ring 338 output the process gas received at the input port 354. Aseries of disconnectable gas flow lines 358 form series connectionsoutside the periphery of the ring 338 that communicate process gas fromeach of the gas supply outlets or ports 356 to a corresponding set ofthe valves 350.

In a preferred embodiment, each valve 350 is pneumatically controlled,and has an input flow-through port 350 a and an output flow-through port350 b, a controlled gas outlet port 350 c and a pneumatic pressurecontrol input port 350 d. The outlet port 350 c provides a controlledprocess gas flow to a corresponding one of the nozzles 32. Process gasflows freely from the input flow-through port 350 a to the outputflow-through port 350 b. Compressed air pressure at the control inputport 350 d determines whether any of the process gas passing through theflow-through ports 350 a, 350 b is diverted to the gas outlet port 350c. Such pneumatically controlled valves are well-known, and thereforetheir internal structure need not be disclosed here. The gas flow lines358 are connected from the gas supply outlets or ports 356 to the inputflow-through ports 350 a of the valves 350. Each of the remaining gasflow lines 358 are connected from the output flow-through port 350 b ofone valve 350 to the input flow-through port 350 a of a successive valve350. Thus, gas flow through the series of valves 350 in the left side ofthe drawing of FIG. 28 is counter-clockwise, while gas flow through theseries of valves 350 in the right side of the drawing of FIG. 28 isclockwise.

Gas flow from each output or port 356 to the series of valves 350connected to it is not blocked by any intervening valve 350 in theseries. Each valve 350 can be turned “on” without turning on or off anyof the other valves 350 to provide gas flow to a corresponding gasinjection nozzle or orifice 32, and can be turned “off” to terminate gasflow to that injection orifice. A valve configuration processor 360controls all of the valves 350 and can turn on or off any combination ofthe valves 350 via valve control links 362. As stated above, in apreferred embodiment the valves 350 are pneumatic valves and the controllinks 362 are pneumatic (air) tubes in order to avoid the presence ofelectrical conductors near the coil antennas 20, 22. In the embodimentof FIG. 28, a compressor 364 furnishes air under pressure to an array ofsolenoid (i.e., electrically controlled) valves 365 that controlapplication of the pressurized air to pneumatic control inputs 350 d ofthe respective pneumatic valves 350. The valve configuration processor360 controls the solenoid valves 365 through electrical links that areremote from the coil antennas 20, 22.

FIG. 29 depicts a modification of the embodiment of FIG. 28 in which thevalves 350 are each electrically controlled rather than pneumaticallycontrolled. In FIG. 29, each of the control links 362 is an electricalline extending directly from the controller 60 to a corresponding one ofthe valves 350, and the air compressor 364 and array of compressed airsolenoid valves 365 are eliminated.

Referring again to FIGS. 27 and 28, each nozzle or orifice 32 is formedfrom a radial cylindrical passage 366 through the ring 338. A hollowcylindrical sleeve 368 is received within the passage 366, the tip 368 aof the sleeve 368 forming the gas injection orifice. The injectionorifice diameter at the tip 368 a having a diameter on the order of0.030 inch, for example. Each sleeve 368 may be formed of a ceramicmaterial and may be removable. The controlled gas outlet port 350 c ofeach valve 350 is connected through a short gas supply line 370 to theouter end of the corresponding radial passage 366. The entire gasdistribution assembly is modular and quickly disassembled by theconnection (or disconnection) of each of the outer gas supply lines 358and the short gas supply lines 370, the sleeves 368 being separatelyremovable from the holes or passages 366. In this way, the gasdistribution components and assembly support on the ring 338 are readilyreplaced on an individual basis, without requiring removal orreplacement of more expensive components of the reactor, such as thering 338 for example.

FIGS. 30A through 30D are graphs of the etch depth distribution over themask 18 obtained in a fixed time period of an etch process carried outin the reactor of FIGS. 27 and 28 for different valve configurations.The etch distribution of FIG. 30A was obtained when all valves 350 wereopen, and is generally a center low etch distribution, with a highnon-uniformity or variation of 0.51% across the mask surface. Thedistribution of FIG. 30B was obtained with a pair of valves closed andthe remaining valves being open, with a more nearly uniform distributionwith a non-uniformity or variation of only 0.38%. FIG. 30C was obtainedby returning the valve configuration back to the state in which allvalves were open. The distribution of FIG. 30C is more center low. Thedistribution of FIG. 30D was obtained by closing a different pair ofadjacent valves. The resulting distribution was more uniform and lesscenter-low, with a variation of only 0.40%.

FIG. 31 illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the gas injectionnozzles 32 are placed in a zig-zag or “W” pattern in the ring 338. Eachnozzle is independently controlled as in the foregoing embodiments. Theinjection pattern may be moved relative to the ceiling by activatingonly the top row 32 a or only the bottom row 32 b of nozzles. Thedistance between nozzles may be changed by activating only selectednozzles 32 (e.g., every third nozzle or every fourth nozzle). FIG. 32 isa cross-sectional view of a portion of the ring 338 depicting how thenozzles 32 may be arranged to spray in different directions. Largechanges in gas distribution may be obtained by the valve configurationcontroller 360 turning on only those nozzles 32 oriented in a particulardirection, for example. For example, all the nozzles 32 c angled towardthe right in the view of FIG. 32 may be simultaneously turned on to theexclusion of all others. A large change or correction may be obtained byturning on all nozzles 32 d angled toward the left while turning off allothers including all the right-angled nozzles 32 c, for example.

Controlling Tunable Reactor Elements with Feedback from an Array ofBackside Etch Depth Measurement Sensors:

Referring now to FIGS. 33 and 34, feedback control of a tunable elementsof the mask etch plasma reactor is provided using the output of thetwo-dimensional array of backside etch depth sensors of FIGS. 25 and 26.The tunable element or elements may include the array of individuallycontrolled gas injection nozzles 32 of FIGS. 27 and 28. Alternatively,or in addition, the tunable element controlled in such a feedback loopmay include the RF power apportionment between the inner and outer coils20, 22 or the height of the movable aluminum plate 112 in the reactor ofFIGS. 6 and 7.

Feedback from the array or matrix of light receivers or etch depthsensing elements 130 of FIGS. 25 and 26 allows the process controller 60to improve uniformity of etch rate distribution by continuous trial anderror adjustments of the reactor tunable elements. In FIG. 33, afeedback loop begins with the array 400 of the light receivers orbackside etch depth sensors 130 of FIGS. 25 and 26. The processcontroller 60 is programmed to use the image of instantaneous etch depthmeasurements across the mask 18 to infer the locations and magnitudes ofnon-uniformities in the etch rate on the mask 18 and to deduce thelikeliest changes in a particular tunable element of the reactor thatwould reduce or eliminate such non-uniformities. This information isconverted by the process controller 60 into a command (or commands) tobe sent to any one or some or all of the tunable elements of thereactor. Thus, FIG. 33 shows output signal paths from the processcontroller 60 to the following tunable elements, any one or all of whichmay be present in the reactor: the inner and outer antenna RF powergenerators 24, 26 (for inner and outer RF power apportionment); theactuator 118 for the movable aluminum plate 112; the nozzle arraycontroller or processor 360 of the array of controllable nozzles 32.

The feedback loop may be operated continuously during the entire masketch process to improve etch rate distribution uniformity across themask 18 by reducing non-uniformities perceived by the process controller60 from the “image” of etch rate distribution across the mask 18. Thefeedback can be governed by software in the process controller 60 forperforming trial and error corrections. Alternatively, the software inthe process controller 60 can incorporate commercially available neuraltraining and feedback learning techniques that enable the processcontroller 60 to respond more intelligently to perceivednon-uniformities in the etch rate distribution. Such software techniquesform no part of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the feedback commands to the tunable element (orelements) may be generated to reduce the variation among the array ofetch depth sensors. In another embodiment, the feedback may be selectedto address a particular non-uniformity. For example, the etch ratedistribution sensed by the array of optical receivers or sensors 130 maybe very high in one quadrant or corner of the mask 18, in which case thevalve configuration processor is commanded to reduce gas flow in thatone quadrant by a limited (trial) amount. If this expedient meets withlimited success according to subsequent images of the etch ratedistribution obtained from the array of optical receivers or backsidesensors 130, then this adjustment in the gas flow distribution may beincreased. This cycle of adjustments and corrections may be continueduntil there is no further improvement in etch rate distributionuniformity.

Other non-uniformities may be handled on a similar basis after the firstone has been corrected. For example, the etch rate in a differentlocation may be extremely high, in which case the gas flow to thatlocation is reduced as long as this results in some reduction in thisnon-uniformity over a number of samples of the etch rate distribution“image” from the array of optical receivers or backside sensors 130.

In the case of etch rate distribution non-uniformities that aresymmetrical (e.g., a center-high or a center-low distribution)symmetrical tunable elements such as the height of the aluminum plate112 or the RF power apportionment between the inner and outer coils 20,22 may be employed by the process controller 60 to reduce thenon-uniformity using the feedback control loop. For example, acenter-low etch rate distribution may be rendered less non-uniform bythe process controller 60 increasing the etch rate in the center of themask 18 by either (or both) raising the aluminum plate 112 or increasingthe apportionment of RF power to the inner coil 20 (relative to theouter coil 22). In the feedback loop, this change may be smallinitially, and as the etch distribution image from the array of opticalreceivers or backside sensors 130 improves in uniformity, the positionof the aluminum plate and/or the apportionment of power to the innercoil 20 may be further increased. This cycle may continue until nofurther improvement is observed. All of the foregoing techniques may beembedded in the software executed by the process controller 60.

FIG. 35 depicts one possible example of a feedback cycle performed bythe process controller 60 in the embodiment of FIGS. 33 and 34. First,the process controller 60 obtains the latest two-dimensional image ofetch rate across the mask surface from the array of optical receivers orbackside sensors 130 (block 380 of FIG. 35). From this image, theprocess controller 60 deduces the pattern of non-uniformity in etch ratedistribution (block 382) and selects an adjustment to one of the tunableelements of the reactor from a list of options that may reduce thenon-uniformity (block 384). After making this adjustment (block 386),the process controller 60 obtains the latest etch rate distributionimage (block 388) and compares it with the previous image taken prior tothe adjustment. If there is an improvement (a lessening in thenon-uniformity), the process controller 60 repeats the same cycle,probably resulting in further increases in the same successfuladjustment. If there is no improvement (NO branch of block 390), thenthe selected adjustment is removed from the list of options (block 392),and a different adjustment is selected by returning to the step of block384.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plasma reactor comprising: a cylindrical vacuumchamber enclosure; an RF plasma source power applicator and an RF sourcepower generator coupled to said applicator; plural passages extending ina radial direction through said vacuum chamber enclosure and beingspaced apart along a circumference of said vacuum chamber enclosure; aprocess gas supply; a succession of detachable gas flow lines spacedfrom and outside of said vacuum chamber enclosure and arrangedend-to-end around the circumference of said vacuum chamber enclosure,and a gas supply line coupled between said succession of detachable gasflow lines and said process gas supply; plural external gas flow valvesoutside of said vacuum chamber enclosure and coupled between successiveones of said gas flow lines at respective locations spaced apartrelative to said circumference of said vacuum chamber enclosure, each ofsaid valves having: (a) a controlled gas output port individuallycoupled to a respective one of said plural passages, (b) a valve controlinput governing gas flow through said controlled gas output port, (c) aninput flow-through port connected to a first one of a corresponding pairof said gas flow lines, (d) an output flow-through port connected to theother one of the corresponding pair of said gas flow lines, (e) aflow-through passage between said input and output flow-through ports,wherein each of said gas flow lines is separately disconnectable fromthe valve to which it is connected; a workpiece support within saidvacuum chamber enclosure having a support surface for supporting aworkpiece; and a gas valve configuration controller controlling thevalve control input of each of said valves.
 2. The reactor of claim 1wherein said external gas flow valves are separately removable from saidvacuum chamber enclosure and separately re-connectable to said vacuumchamber enclosure.
 3. The reactor of claim 1 wherein each of said valvesis a pneumatically controlled valve, said reactor further comprising: apressurized air source; plural electrically controllable air valvescoupled between said pressurized air source and the valve control inputsof respective ones of said external gas flow valves; and individualsignal paths between said controller and the valve control inputs ofrespective ones of said external gas flow valves.
 4. The reactor ofclaim 1 further comprising a plurality of hollow sleeves withinrespective ones of said plural passages, each of said sleeves having agas receiving end and a gas output end, said gas output end of each ofsaid sleeves defining a gas injection orifice.
 5. The reactor of claim 4wherein said sleeves are individually removable from said passages andseparately re-insertable into said passages, and said external gas flowvalves are separately removable from said vacuum chamber enclosure andseparately re-connectable to said vacuum chamber enclosure.
 6. Thereactor of claim 5 wherein each of said sleeves is formed of a ceramicmaterial.
 7. The reactor of claim 1 wherein said passages are terminatedas openings facing an interior of said vacuum chamber enclosure, saidopenings being evenly spaced apart along a circumference of said vacuumchamber enclosure.
 8. The reactor of claim 7 wherein said openingscomprise plural sets of evenly spaced openings at respective axiallocations.
 9. The reactor of claim 7 wherein said openings compriseplural sets of openings, respective ones of said sets of openings beingoriented at respective angles.
 10. The reactor of claim 1 furthercomprising a gas manifold, said gas manifold comprising: a gas supplyport for receiving a gas from said process gas supply; and a pair of gasoutlets oriented in opposing rotational directions along thecircumference of said vacuum chamber enclosure; wherein said successionof detachable gas flow lines comprises: a first set of said gas flowlines having an input coupled to one of said pair of gas outlets andextending around a first half portion of the circumference of saidvacuum chamber enclosure along a first rotational direction, and asecond set of said gas flow lines having an input coupled to the otherof said pair of gas outlets and extending around a second half portionof the circumference of said vacuum chamber enclosure along a rotationdirection opposite said first rotational direction.
 11. The reactor ofclaim 10 wherein said gas supply line is coupled between said processgas supply and said gas supply port of said gas manifold.
 12. Thereactor of claim 10 wherein said first set of said gas flow linesextends around approximately half of the circumference of said vacuumchamber enclosure and said second set of said gas flow lines extendsaround approximately the other half of the circumference of said vacuumchamber enclosure.
 13. The reactor of claim 1 wherein said controller isconnected individually to the control inputs of each of said gas flowvalves so as to be capable of controlling each of said gas flow valvesindependently of the other valves.
 14. The reactor of claim 1 whereinsaid gas flow valves are controllable to an ON state and an OFF state.15. The reactor of claim 1 wherein said gas flow valves are controllableto different gas flow rates between a zero flow rate and a maximum flowrate.